Clark County’s homeless crisis is not unique; the issue is being wrestled with throughout the country. Nor is it one that can be cured with a magic elixir; solutions require a multipronged approach of investment and diligence on the part of local leaders and residents.
Yet as we continue to address the issue, we must recognize that the problem of homelessness is not intractable. The situation can be improved through a commitment of resources and innovation to enhance the lives of our neediest citizens and, therefore, our community.
Clark County’s latest Point in Time Count, conducted in January and released last week, revealed a 21 percent increase in homeless people over the previous year. This year’s count tallied 958 of our neighbors living without permanent shelter, left to sleep in tents, cars or on sidewalks, or living in emergency shelters or transitional housing.
“Research shows that homelessness increases in communities where rents grow faster than incomes,” Kate Budd, executive director of the Council for the Homeless wrote in a blog post. “In one year, Clark County rents rose on average by 8.3 percent, with the fair market rent rising by over $500 in the last five years. Rental costs are greatly outpacing employment wages, causing people to spend a higher and higher percentage of their income on rent.”
Affordable housing is the first step in dealing with the issue, and the city of Vancouver has made progress. In 2016, voters in the city approved a property tax levy to raise $6 million a year over seven years, dedicated to building affordable housing and helping to keep residents in their homes. In February, city officials announced the latest projects to receive funding, doling out $5.69 million for 15 construction, acquisition or rehabilitation projects.
There also must be attention to the manner in which substance abuse and mental illness contribute to homelessness. Social services are essential for developing stability that helps people secure housing and then stay in that housing. The “housing first” philosophy has seen success in numerous cities, getting homeless people into housing before dealing with the underlying causes of their plight.
Meanwhile, any approach to reducing homelessness should first focus on families with children. According to the Point in Time count, that demographic accounted for 133 homeless people this year — an increase of 28 percent from the previous year.
As EndHomelessness.org writes: “Homelessness can have a tremendous impact on children — their education, health, sense of safety, and overall development.” Those are impacts that can contribute to lifelong problems and increase societal costs down the road.
Overall, it is those societal costs that demand a community effort to reduce homelessness. While it often is tempting to blame individuals for their situation and to demand personal accountability, we all pay the price for people living without shelter.
Social services, law enforcement, health care, and other costs are borne by the public. Nationally, studies have shown that one chronically homeless person costs the average taxpayer more than $35,000 per year. There also is an immeasurable cost in quality of life for all citizens.
None of this is new or particularly revealing. But the release of the latest Point in Time count serves as a reminder of the scope of the issue and the need for continued action throughout Clark County — because homelessness in our community affects all of us.
